Truck structure



Aug. 21, 1934- D. KENDALL ET AL 1, 0, TRUCK STRUCTURE v INVENTORS Aug. 21, 1934. D. KENDALL ET AL TRUCK STRUCTURE Filed NOV. 16, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENj'ORS Aug. 21, 1934.

D. KENDALL ET AL TRUCK STRUCTURE 9 lN/VENTOR MAM I Patented Au 21, 1934 tenses TRUCK STRUCTURE David Kendall and Edgar Homer Kendall, I Alliance, Ohio Application NovemberlG, 1932, Serial No. 6 12,856

s Claims.

The present invention'relates broadly to end trucks or end carriage structures, and more particularly to structures of this type adaptable for use in various structures such as overhead cranes of the bridge type, crosstravel drives for trolleys and the like. For purposes of a better understanding of the invention, it will hereinafter be described more particularly in connection withbridge cranes, although it is to be understood that the utility of the invention is not limited with respect thereto. I

It is customary in the manufacture of bridge cranes for example, to utilize a bridge motor or motors located at or adjacent to the center of one of the bridge girders and adapted to drive the wheel shafts through suitable gearing. Ordinarily there is a single wheel shaft extending the entire width of the bridge crane, and the armature of the bridge motor carries a gear meshing directly with a gear on this wheel shaft. Due to the fact that such a shaft extends the full length of the bridge girder, and the fact that the entire crane is susceptible to bending and weaving to a greater or, lesser extent, considerable difficulty has been experienced in maintaining proper alinement between the shaft and the trucks. This difiiculty has been increased as bridge sizes, speeds and loads have increased and as the necessity for anti-friction bearings has manifested itself. With babbitt bearings of the type originally used, the bearings would wear to such an extent as to accommodate the wheel shaft under varying conditions of load, speed and the like. With anti-friction bearingshowever, such a possibility of automatic alining by reason of bearing wear, does not exist.

In our Patent No. 1,882,325, dated October 11, 1932, we have illustrated and described a preierred form of bridge crane wherein girder defiec tion due to load,. for example, does not create such an objectionable condition of misalinement with respect to the bridge drive or interfere with the proper driving relationship of ,the parts. In accordance with that patent there is provided a bridge motor located at approximately the central portion of the girder extending between the sideframes 'of the crane and having its armature shaft coupledto relatively small drive shafts of sufficientsize to take .care of the direct torque of, the motor, and in turn driving the wheels through'the medium of reduction gearing. In accordance with that embodiment of the invention the reduction gearing is spaced an appreci-= able distance from the Wheels which it drives, thereby necessitating flexible driving connections between the reduction gearing and the Wheels. We have found that, while such a construction in practice gives improved results over structures as heretofore utilized, still further advantages maybe obtained by incorporating the bridge drive directly into the trucks, trolley sides or end carriages in such manner that the entire reduction gearing moves as a unit with the parts in which it is incorporated.

The present invention therefore may be considered as having for one of its objects an improved form of end truck of novel construction having the reducing gearing built directly into the truck frame, and adapted to a wide variety of uses, including bridge drives. of the type .referred to.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown more or less diagrammatically, and by way of illustration only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings:

Figure l is a diagrammatic side eievational View of one form of bridge drive constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view on an en-- larged scale, on the line II-II of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view along the line III-III of Figure 2. I

In carrying out the present invention, which is adapted to a wide variety of diiferent uses and to cranes of different types, but more particu larly overhead cranes of the bridge type, no radical change in the general frame structureof the crane is required to utilize our improved end truck therewith. Such cranes ordinarily include cross girders and side beams suitably inter connected and carrying the motors and other operating mechanism. In the drawings, the invention is illustrated diagrammatically for purposes of a clearer understanding. In these figures there is illustrated a girder 2 of such length as to extend between the side frames of the crane, and therefore approximately from one runway 3 to the other. "At approximately the central portion of the girder there is provided a bridge motor 4 having its armature shaft 5 extending beyond opposite ends of the motor and coupled through the medium of flexible couplings 6 of any desired type, to relatively small shafts '7. Each of these shafts 7 is of a size sufficient to take care of the direct torque of the motor, and in this respect the construction is generally similar to that disclosed in our patent before referred to.

Adjacent each end of the girder there is provided an end truck 8 including a truck beam 9 having a pivotal connection 10 to a suitable portion of the crane frame and having bearings adjacent its opposite ends for wheel shafts 11. These bearings are illustrated more particularly in Figure 2 as being of the downwardly opening type closed by caps 12. By reason of this construction it is possible, by raising the end truck or carriage a matter of a few inches, to roll away therefrom the track wheel, together with its gear and bearing assemblies.

Each of the wheel shafts carries a track wheel 14 cooperating with the runway 3. By reference more particularly to Figure 3 of the drawings wherein the driven wheel shaft is illustrated, it will be noted that the Wheel axle 11 shown therein is carried by the truck beam in an outer antifriction thrust bearing 15 and in an inner antifriction bearing 17. Inside of the bearing 17 the shaft carries a gear 13 operable within a confining and oil retaining casing 19 formed with an oil inlet or supply opening 20, whereby the desired oil level may be maintained at all times.

Meshing with the gear 18 is a pinion 21 formed integrally with a shaft 22 on the hub 23 of which is mounted a gear 24.. The shaft 22 is shown as mounted in the truck frame in suitable antifriction bearings 25. Engaging with the gear 24: for driving the same is a drive pinion 26 carried by a shaft 27 mounted in suitable bearings 28. The shaft 27 at one end has a telescopic or sleeved driving connection 29 with a universal joint 30, the universal joint being in turn driven by the small shaft 7 before referred to.

The opposite end of the shaft 2'? extends outwardly and cooperates with a hydraulic brake 31 by means of which the rotation of the shaft my be checked at will.

It will be understood that if desired, both of the track wheels of each truck may be positively driven in the manner described, although in actual practice it has been found necessary only to drive one wheel of each truck. With the construction shown the reduction gearing by means of which the desired driving is accomplished, as well as the brake by means of which rotation may be checked at will, are all carried. as an integral part of the truck frame in such manner that deflection of the crane itself does not affect, in any manner, the desired driving relationship between the reduction gearing and the wheel driven thereby.

V The mounting of the reduction gearing in a suitable housing constituting part of the truck frame not only provides a more compact structure eliminating the mountingand supporting of separate housings, as has heretofore been required, but insures the proper driving relationship of the parts at all times. Such a self-contained unit has also been found to eliminate very considerably the vibration and noise incident to usual crane operation in such structures as embody driving mechanism on the girders, footwalks or the like.

By providing a pivotal mounting for the entire truck beam, it will be apparent that the wheels may automatically adjust themselves to irregularities in track contour.

The advantages of the present invention arise not only from the provision of a self-contained unit of the character referred to, adapted to a wide variety of different uses, but from the fact that such a unit enables automatic lubrication of the parts to be readily obtained, all of the parts being enclosed within protective housings rendering the same less likely to accidental injury, and correspondingly increasing the safety incident to the crane operation.

While we have herein illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that changes in the construction and operation herein illustrated may be made without departing either from the spirit of the invention or the scope of our broader claims.

We claim:

1. The combination with a bridge girder for cranes, of end trucks each including track wheels, reduction gearing carried by said end trucks and operatively connected to a wheel thereof, means for transmitting power to said gearing, said last mentioned means including a motor adjacent the central portion of said girder, and a bridge line shaft directly secured to the armature of said motor and operatively connected to said gearing.

2. The combinationwith atravelling frame, of a motor adjacent the central portion thereof, a torque shaft directly connected to each end of said motor armature, end trucks each including track wheels and reduction gearing, and an operating connection between said gearing and one of the track wheels.

3. The combination with a travelling frame, of a pair ofend trucks adjacent each end thereof and supporting said frame, reduction gearing carried by each end truck, and common driving means for the reduction gearing of said trucks, said common driving means including a motor adjacent the center of said frame and a line shaft connected to vthe motor armature and extending from each end thereof substantially in axial alinement therewith.

4. The combination with a travelling frame, of a pair of end trucks one adjacent each end thereof, reductiongearing carried by each end truck and operatively connected to a track wheel of said truck, and common driving means for the reduction gearing of both of said trucks, said common driving means including a motor adjacent the center of said frame and a line shaft 139 connected to the motor armature and extending from each end thereof substantially in axial alinement therewith and flexibly connected to said armature. g

5.'A crane comprising a bridge and trucks therefor, track wheels on the trucks, a driving motor carried by the bridge, a power transmitting shaft driven at motor speed, and reducing gearing carried by an end truck, the power shaft being connected to the reducing gearing, the gearing constituting a speed-reducing and power-transmitting means for transmitting power from said shaft to a track wheel on the truck. 6. A crane comprising a bridge, end trucks therefor, track wheels on the trucks, a driving motor carried by the bridge, a power transmitting shaft driven at motor speed, and a speed reducer carried by an end' truck, such speed reducer constituting the entiremeans for reducing the motor speed to the desired track wheel speed.

its

therefor, track wheels on the trucks, a driving motor carried by the bridge, a power transmitting shaft driven at motor speed, a speed reducer carried by an end truck, such speed reducer constituting the entire means for reducing the motor speed to the desired wheel speed, and brake means carried on the truck and operable upon a shaft in the wheel driving train.

DAVID KENDALL.

E. HOMER KENDALL. 

